At long last.

"You smell nice but just the way a guy does to me."

A fluffy tone came from his throat, not a growl, but near a growl. "If you lick me to test my taste, you're going to be in a world of hurts."

His statement confused Rose. "Why would I do that? Do lycanthropes do that to taste people?"

The sound he made became clearer as he did it again, only louder. He groaned and turned his head, inspecting the forest with the greatest care.

"Come on, Damon. Where the hell are you?"

His hands relaxed on her ass as Rose decided he looked uncomfortable.

"What's the problem?"

His dark, beautiful eyes were fixed intently on her. "Foreplay, sheep. That's what you just initiated, but you have no idea, do you?"

Panic shot her eyebrows up. "Really? Just sniffing at you?"

"Yeah. You're wrapped around me too."

"You could put me down."

"And you could end up adorning the tree again. No. Damon will come. We'll just stay this way until then"

"I'll hold your hand. I am much calmer and I'm starting to trust you. I think I can resist the urge to leave the ground if I'm close to you."

"If I put you down, you're going to get a better view of me."

Heat crept back into her cheeks. He didn't need to expand on that. She said nothing but silently urged Damon to come back with clothes for Klaus. She dropped her attention to his chest, again noticing how broad and muscular he was. Alphas were always that way- perfectly shaped.

"I take it you've never had it with a lycanthrope?"

"No." She refused to meet his eyes, stunned he'd ask her such a crude question. "I told you, I've never run into another one."

"That's a good thing. You aren't strong at all. That's why I thought you were human at first."

She met his gaze again. "I'm mostly human."

"You are." He turned his head, examined the woods, and smiled tightly. "Here he comes. Don't be afraid. He's not going to hurt you."

Damon had put on a T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of dirty sneakers. He walked into the clearing with a white back.

Klaus's clothes hooked over one arm and keys dangled from his hand. The grin on his face spread wider.

"Did I interrupt?" Amusement laced his voice. "It looks as though I did." He chuckled. "I see things are getting real hard around here."

"Shut up, drop the clothes, the keys, and get lost," Klaus grumbled.

"You could hand her over to me." Jerry moved closer. "We could share her. I'm past the urge to kill her but she sure is a pretty thing. I can think of at least five things I'd enjoy doing to her body."

"You will lose a hand if you touch her. She's under my protection and this isn't what you're thinking."

"You want to nail her so what's stopping you?" Damon halted.

"Fine." The other man dropped the clothes and keys, spun on his heel, and headed back into the woods. "It's probably a good thing if you don't screw her. Your mother would rather see you castrated than hooking up with a cat."

Anger appeared to have Klaus seething. Klaus studied his features and fear crept back when he glared at her, giving her his full attention after his packmate disappeared. His eyes had changed slightly, the shape of them noticeably different, and the hair along his jawline and upper lip looked suspiciously longer to her.

"Your face," she whispered.

"I'm angry. Sorry." He took deep breaths, the changes disappearing until he looked

one-hundred-per cent human. "It's easier to lose control after a shift. The longer you stay in skin the easier it is to keep it.".

"Oh."

His hands tightened on her but then he adjusted his hold, forcing her to release him with her legs when he pushed her away from his torso. Klaus gasped but stood on the ground. The quick view

of a naked, aroused Klaus left her holding her breath before he spun away. The guy had a well-proportioned body, big all over, and she couldn't help but stare at his rounded, firm ass when he bent to retrieve the clothes.

He dressed quickly in a pair of black sweatpants and a navy tank top, keeping his back to her the entire time. He turned to face her after he had covered his body, his erection still visible since his friend

hadn't bothered to bring him underwear. Rose jerked her gaze up, trying not to gawk at the tented pants.

"Let's go. My boots will be with the truck. I'll have to return your purse at a later date but I will get it back to you."

"I won't be able to get into my apartment if I don't have my keys and my car is still in the parking lot of the grocery store. I need to―"

"Get the hell away from me before I do something stupid," he grumbled. "You said an apartment? Don't you have a manager with a spare key?"

"Yes." She hadn't thought of that. Rose nodded. "I even have a spare set of car keys at home. I locked my set inside once and it costs a small bundle to have someone come out to pop the

lock."

"Let's go."

"My name is Rose. Why do you keep calling me that?"

Klaus gave her his back as he walked away. "It's a reminder to me so I don't forget that dogs and cats don't mix well." a Cheshire grin was splashed across his lips.

He strode quickly for the woods. "Keep up."

Rose ensued. Her feet pained, but she didn't complain. Klaus had protected her from his pack and kept his word. She wasn't going to ask him to carry her through the woods on top of

all he'd already done. She gazed at his broad back and felt certain the strong guy could effortlessly do it.